Murder or mishap?

They are calling it a road accident, but amidst the shock and sorrow at BMD President Gomolemo Motswaledi’s death comes the fear that he may have been murdered.

The 44-year-old politician died on Wednesday morning outside Pitsane village in a car accident that his party comrades have described as ‘highly suspicious.’

The Botswana Movement for Democracy President and Umbrella for Democratic Change Vice President was travelling from South Africa for a 10 am meeting at the party offices in Gaborone, BMD Spokesperson Wynter Mmolotsi has confirmed.

Goodhope village police boss, Assistant commissioner Engemadzo Sechele said at the moment police were clueless as to what could have caused the fatal accident.

Speaking at the scene Sechele said: “We have identified a number of people to interview in relation to the accident but at the moment we can’t reveal much.”

But by Wednesday afternoon, crowds made up of mainly shocked and angry UDC party members openly talked of ‘the need to institute a private investigation into the suspicious accident’ as they gathered in Pitsane to try and make sense of it all.

Conspiracy theories suggesting that the BMD president might have been murdered abounded as mourners tried to come to terms with how a seemingly minor accident could have killed their leader.

The Audi A3 Motswaledi was driving received damage to the tyres on the passenger’s side, the vehicle’s fenders, the driver’s window and the top part of the windscreen were also shattered, but otherwise the car was intact and the airbags had not opened on impact.

Blood was splattered on the passenger’s side and smudged on the car roof of the same side where Motswaledi’s body was apparently found hanging out of the window.

There was also blood in the car boot and a broken bottle of Old Brown sherry that left the car stinking of alcohol.

A staunch Christian, Motswaledi was famed for his sober habits and a dislike of alcohol.

Three individuals (two men and a woman) who claimed to be eye witnesses, but requested that their names be withheld, alleged that they saw a suspicious looking man wearing a balaclava and a Pringle sweater at the scene before the arrival of the police.

“It was just after 8 am when I passed with two of my colleagues to drop them off at work.

We were heading in the direction of Ramatlabama when I saw this man standing by a car and two others seated on the other side of the road.

Something didn’t seem right and I couldn’t keep my mind away from what I saw, so I came back to the scene after about 30 minutes to find police at the scene and to hear about the death of Gomolemo Motswaledi.

“I can’t stop wondering who those three men were and if they had anything to do with his death,” the visibly disturbed man said.

A fourth eyewitness, a middle aged man who also requested anonymity told of how the police officer at the scene described how he found the slumped body hanging with its head out of the passenger window.

“He told me it was Motswaledi and even showed me his ID. I was amazed at how a seemingly minor accident could have killed someone,” the witness said.

“He was brought in by Special Support Group and had four fractures on the skull,”revealed a hospital staff member who said she was at a loss to determine what could have been the cause of the damage.

Meanwhile many of those gathered outside the BMD office known as Freedom House soon after the announcement of Motswaledi’s death wept openly at the news.

The Daily News reported that President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama had passed a message of condolences to the Motswaledi family.

Khama said he was shocked at the tragic death of Mr Motswaledi whom he described as “young and full of promise.”

Motswaledi, a parliamentary hopeful for Gaborone Central died two months ahead of the October national elections, leaving the BMD with a mamoth task of identifying a new candidate to stand against the BCP’s Dumelang Saleshando, Indepedent candidate Sydney ‘Dj Syd’ Baitsile and the BDP’s Reverend Rupert Hambira.